Torpedo-net.



E. A; CLARK.

TORPEDO NET.

APPLlCATlON FILED DEC. 15. 1914.

1,240,31 7. Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

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ronrnno-ivn'r.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ewnn A. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Revere, in the county of Suffolk and CommonwealthofMassachusetts, have in vented certain new and useful. Improvements inTorpedo-Nets, of which the foland exact specification.

Many warships are provided with nets suspended about them for thepurpose of entangling and stopping any torpedoes which may be launchedagainst them. The di'fliculty with such nets is, however, that in thecase of the modern high-speed torpedo, they the progress of the same,and the torpedo passes through the nets into engagement with thewarship. The purpose of this invention is the effecting of improvedmeans for preventing such penetration of the nets. To this end, myinvention consists in providing each mesh of the net with a resilientlytightening slip-noose adapted to be entered by a torpedo striking suchpoint, and to'give such a frictional retardation to the progress of'themissile as to cause it to be brought to a stop before its nose can meetthe ships side.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1is a face view of a section of a guard net provided with myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one 'of the resilientnooses alone. Fig. 3 is aside view of a torpedo penetrating a net andengaged by a noose. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the noose-holdingclips. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating several ships towing boomscarrying my improved netting. Fig. 6 is an elevation of a section of aboom having the netting suspended therefrom. Fig. 7 is a cross sectionof a boom and netting supported thereby. Fig. 8 is a cross section of aboom having the netting partially wound thereon. Fig. 9 is a crosssection of a boom provided with a turning rope.

Although I do not illustrate a war ship,

.nor the net-supporting arms usually employed for the suspension of theprotecting netting, yet I show a means for supporting the same, whichcomprises a floating boom,

and a portion of the net provided with my resilient noose in its set andgripping conditions.

Looking trated as composed of vertical ropes l and corner of the meshfor posed first at .Fig, 1, the net is illus Specification of LettersPatent. Patented Sept. 18, 1917. Application filed December 15, 1914.Serial No. 877,445.

horizontal ropes 2 fastened together at their intersections, anduniformly spaced, the ropes being preferably about eighteen inchesapart. While ropes are thus shown, I do not restrict myself thereto, aschains, rods and the like may be used for suchreticulat'ed members. I r

WVithin each mesh of the portion'of the net normally beneath the water,and closely positioned beside the vertical and horizontal members 1, 2,is a slip noose formed of powerful rope of wire or fiber, said rope 3having one end strongly fastened to a ring 4 slidable on thebodyof therope. The other end of the rope 3 is suitably attached to the net,preferably to the lower horizontal memher 2 about midway of the adjacentmesh, as at 5.

Upon the portion of the rope 3 between the ring 4 and the fastening 5,is a strong helical spring 6 of the open type and hence fittedfor'expansion. As illustrated in Fig. 1. this spring is compressed toits limit, and if released would quadruple in length.

To keep the spring 6 compressed and the loop widely open, and so in acondition to receive a torpedo, a catch 7 is fixed in each 7 thereception of the loop, said catch being preferably a spring clip adaptedto grip the rope 3 with sufficient strength to insure against the loopsbeing dislodged by the waves, but not enough to hold it against thetripping devices employed. The tripping devices preferably comprise awire 10 passed about the loop within the clips, so that when said wireis strongly pulled inward loop out W it will draw the from the clips andpermit it to be drawn about the torpedo penetrating it.

The means for thus pulling upon the wire 10 consists of a pair ofdiametrically diswires 12 terminally attached. to the wire 10, saidwires or ropes 12 being fastened together at their intersection. Whenthe nose of a torpedo shoots into any one of the four spaces inclosed bythe wires 10 and 12, it gives such a pull thereon as instantly to jerkloose both the wires and the loop 3entirely free of-the clips 7 and sodrops the loop upon the torpedo.

One of said clips 7 preferably the one at the lower right hand corner ofeach mesh, is positioned in a plane parallel with the ropes 1 and henceadapted to have the ring 4: pressed against it by the helical spring 3.and as hold the latter in its compressed;

condition. Consequently, the instant the pull upon the wire net 10, 12'has withdrawn the rope or loop 3 from all the clips 7, said spring is nolonger held back but forces the ring 4 along the rope 3 until the loophas been drawn tightly about the torpedo. i Y

This spring 6 being made quite powerful, it gives to the loop such atightigrip upon the torpedo as to form in effect a friction brake uponthe latters progress, so that even if it has not fully brought thetorpedo to rest before the loop has been left hehind, yet. the loop willengage the propeller 15 and by that means stop further advance of thetorpedo.

Further, since the torpedo is held back by a'p'ull at one side thereof,as shown in i Fig. 3, the steady drag thereonwill cause the torpedo toswing about until it is substantially parallel With the net and henceincapable of reaching the ships side evenv if the slip noose shouldfailto stop itentirely. Should the torpedo have been provided with atime-fuse, instead of a per cussion head, it would thus be held so farfrom the ship as to be incapable of harming the latter when theexplosion occurs.

As illustratedin Fig. 4-, the clips 7 are notiparallel with the; ropes2, but are deflected inward therefrom at an angle of approximatelyforty-five degrees, in order that the pull toward the ship given by atorpedo to the net 10, 12 will act to with draw the wires and rope 3from the clips.

While this netting may be suspended from arms projecting from thewarships, I prefer to'attach it to aboom 16, as shown in F igs. 6 and 7.A series of these nettingcarrying booms being trailed behind a warvessel, as 17, in Fig. 5, a second war vessel somewhat behind and to oneside of the boom will be protected by the netting on the boom; and thesecond vessel 18 being :madeto trail another series of booms16 vbehindit, a third vessel 19 will be similarly protected, and so on forany desired length of fleet.

' Then the booms are to be stowed away on deck'or elsewhere, the nettingis rolled up thereon, as partially shown in Fig. 8; and

to do this readily, I prefer to. coil a rope 21 upon the boom, as shownin Figs. 6 and 9, so that by pulhng upward on said rope,

"the boomis rotated in a--d-irection to wind the netting thereon. Bypulling the rope 22, which is wound in .the opposite direction, the boomis turned to unwind-and let down the netting. Although I have describedthis net as designed for the capture of torpedoes, it is evident thatitcan be also employed for catching large fish.

Further, by making the netting sufficiently large and strong, and theloops of netting, each slip noose being supported to a 4.. Thecombination witha netting having powerful cables or chains, the same canbe used for entangling submarines.

In addition to theprotection of war ships, the booms carrying thenetting and entangling loops can be fixed across the'mouth of harbor orriver for the purpose of securing the same against the admission of submarines, torpedoes and the like. Hard projections 20 may be made in theloop to increase its grip. l

What I claim is:

1.. The combination with a netting comprising ropes or .the like,secured together at their intersections, of a slip noosesupported ineach mesh of the netting with one end attached to the-netting.

'2. The combination witlra netting, of a slip noose supported ineachmesh of the netting and haying one end. attached to'the closely coincidewithgthe sides of the mesh containing it. 7 1 v 3. The combination witha netting com- 7 prising ropes secured together at their in Itersections, of a slip noose supported in each mesh of the netting andhaving one end: at tached-tothe netting; resilient means for tighteningeach slip noose, and means temporarily holding said means-from actingupon each noose.

meshes of a material size, of, aslip noose supported in each mesh of thenetting and attached to the netting, resilient means for tightening eachnoose, and easily releasable means holding said tightening meansinactive.

5. I The combinationjwith a netting having meshes of a material size, ofa slip noose supported ineach mesh of thenet-ting and attached atone endthereto,a helical spring mounted on each noose between its attached endand the movable end thereof, means for holding said springs compressed,and means for releasing said springs.

Y r 1,1 6. A rope or thelike having one end. an-

. chored and the other formed into a slip noose, in combination with. ahelical spring mounted upon the rope between the an chored endand thenoose, and easilyreleased means for holdingthe spring com pressed.

7.. The combination of a netting comprising spaced horizontal andvertical members, clips at the intersections of saidmembers,,a sectionof netting held in said clips, a rope having one end attached. tothefirstnamed netting and its other end "formed into a slip noose, thelatter being held in said clips, and a helical spring mounted on 2 therope between the attached. end and the nearest clip, the section ofnetting being disposed in said clips to pull the loop out from the clipswhen said section is drawn out therefrom.

8. The combination with a netting, of a In testimony that I claim theforegoing loop fastened in each of certain openings invention, I havehereunto set my hand this 10 th1e1'eiI11, each 1600p being constlrucgzedtofre- 14th day of December, 1914;. si ient y resis expansion an eingas- 5 toned to one side of the opening, whereby EWEN CLARK a torpedopenetrating one of the loops Will Witnesses:

be given aresistanoeto further progress A. B. UPHAM, eccentric to itslongitudinal line. JOSEPH W. DOWNS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. c.

